The Twilight 25: Round 9
by randommama
Summary: Round 9 of the Twilight 25 has us focusing on a central character. Be prepared for a series of stories that are a combination of one-shots, flash fics, and possibly even drabbles centered around my main character, Edward.


The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25 dot com

Prompt: 1. Ancient

Main Character: Edward

Rating: M

Word Count: 4407

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><p><span><strong>The Coveted Ancient, Puzzle Box<strong>

~EPOV~

I could hardly contain my excitement as I looked upon the box before me. It was almost unbelievable to me that after years of searching for this ancient treasure, it was finally sitting right here before me. I had almost given up finding it. Admittedly, in the back of mind I'd prepared for the possibility that it would remain lost to me forever. I had hoped that wouldn't be the case. Now, it was here before me. I was a jumble of emotions at the sight of it. But, most of all, I was grateful to my love, Bella, for having procured it for me.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Bella asked eagerly, no doubt anxious to see what was contained inside. "You can't tell me that I went to all the trouble of getting this ancient treasure box only to have you just stare at it."

"I'm savoring the moment," I replied. "I had been searching for this box for so long. I almost can't believe that it's right here sitting in front of me. Truthfully, I thought that maybe this day would never come. I had tried and failed on so many occasions to procure this box. I thought that maybe I'd meet my end and have to live a life unfulfilled because I'd never found this one treasure box. Bella, you have no idea how grateful I am that you've delivered this box to me."

"Yeah, yeah, you're grateful, Edward. I get that," she spouted, obviously bored with my sentimentality. "You've already showed me over and over how truly grateful you are. I mean, if you were anymore appreciative, I think my pussy would end up going on strike. Not that I'm complaining," giving me a wink in the process.

I had to smile, fondly recalling the memories. Bella was referring to the marathon sex session we'd had after she'd surprised me with the gift of the treasure box. I had definitely showed her my gratitude by fucking her six ways to Sunday, but also by making sweet love to her like she deserved, especially since she was my most precious acquisition and treasure to date. We christened and defiled practically every surface of this house of ours. I just could not get enough of her. As much as it was wrong of me to allow her to partake in such debauchery, having her become sore and extremely exhausted in the process, allowing her to have very little rest, Bella was a trooper and repeatedly hadn't rejected any of my advances. She was open to anything I wanted in order to "show her my appreciation." On top of that, she gave to me just as good as she got.

Damn, how I loved the woman.

Needless to say, we had both been exhausted from all the strenuous activity and had not returned to examine the box until now, some twenty-four hours later. I can understand why Bella's patience was running low.

"C'mon Edward, open it already," Bella whined. "I wanna see what's inside. I wanna see what is so damn important that you had to have this particular box. You've had me intrigued since you'd first told me about it. Not to mention annoyed that you've kept me in the dark till now as to what's contained inside. Curiosity is killing me here."

"And I've appreciated your patience, your restraint, and your loyalty, my love. I think anyone else would've let their curiosity get the best of 'em and would've opened the box already, not to mention have kept the treasure inside for themselves."

"Well, I'm not just anyone else," she retorted back.

"Indeed, you're not," I agreed.

Bella is one special lady. Not only because she was the only one that had been able to break through my walls and capture my heart, which in my opinion, took some special skill on her part, but also because she was able to accomplish what I could not, despite all the money and resources I had put into trying to procure this ancient treasure box.

For a man that usually got what he wanted at all costs and never really failed at anything, it was difficult for me to admit that I was having difficulty acquiring this particular treasure box. That never really happened before. I mean, if I wanted the fucking authentic Mona Lisa painting hanging in the Louvre, I could get the painting and adorn my walls with it. That is how limitless my power was. However, this treasure box had always eluded me.

Again, I could never be more grateful to Bella. I would spend till the end of my days repaying her for this gift. I would have to show her my appreciation daily. I was looking forward to that.

Bella started to smirk. I bet she knew exactly where my mind was going. That woman could read me like a book.

I had yet to ask how Bella even got a hold of this treasure box exactly. I gathered it must've not been the easiest of tasks. If it had been easy, I would've already possessed it, saving Bella a lot of time and trouble. However, knowing Bella the way I do, I knew she had her ways of getting what she wanted. Her powers of persuasion were unmatched and her intelligence as well. In fact, she's one of the smartest women I know. It's how she'd been able to evade capture despite her criminal ways, which only I really know about.

What I also loved about her was that she was a woman after my own heart. In a lot of ways, she's the female version of me, albeit only a lot more ruthless and cunning. She, like me, went after what she wanted and there was no stopping her. When she had set her sights on me, I had no hope. I knew my bachelor days were over.

Maybe because she was a lot like me is why we got along so well. We're a perfect match in my opinion.

"You had made it your life's mission to acquire this ancient box. When we got together, it became my mission too. Because I love you, I would've never disrespect you by thinking to steal it or even open it. Heck, I really have no idea of its value. You want it, I had opportunity to get it, and so there it is. But, I admit my patience is running out. I may just have to see what's inside for myself if you don't get on with it."

"How did you get it?" I had to ask.

"Ugh...you're stalling," she groaned.

"I'm honestly curious how you were able to accomplish what I hadn't been able to all these years."

"Maybe it's because I know all the right people."

I had to smile at that. She only spoke the truth. As connected as I was in our world, Bella was even more so.

"No, really...tell me. After it's last known whereabouts, I thought that the box might be lost forever. How many people did you actually have to kill to acquire it?"

"Baby, you wound me. Murdering people isn't always the only way to be able to get something you covet."

"Maybe so, but as difficult as it had been to acquire this box, I have to think that someone had to die for it to come into your possession."

"I assure you, no one died," Bella stated proudly. "No one even came close to dying. No one even got hurt."

"What? That is unbelievable. It must've cost you a small fortune, then. How many millions did you end up spending?"

"Not a dime," she replied with a gleam in her eye.

"Then how?" I was dying to know by this point. I was completely perplexed.

In my own efforts to acquire this particular ancient box, a lot of people had died, lots of bloodshed in general, tons of money was spent, and lots of other resources, time, and efforts were used, and I personally sacrificed so much. However, I still failed to take possession of it. I thought I had used every trick that I knew of, not to mention everything in my arsenal, to be able to acquire this particular box. I had put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the effort of acquiring this box, beginning from the time I'd found out that it had been excavated from the wreckage of a sunken ship. I'd even almost lost my own life on a few occasions in trying to get this box. I couldn't even fathom how Bella could've accomplished the task without shedding any blood, spending any money, or losing her own life in the process.

There had to be a catch. Now my brain was reeling as to what that catch was.

"Did you make a deal with the Devil?" I urged her to answer me.

"Maybe that's just for me to know. Edward, as well as we know one another, I know you still have your own secrets. I think it's only fair that I have mine."

"Bella," I growled, increasingly becoming angry. I was starting to worry as to what price we'd both be paying for now possessing the box. "Tell me exactly how you were able to accomplish the feat of acquiring the box. What kind of deal did you make? Are you, or we, in some kind of danger now? You have to let me know, so I can prepare accordingly."

"Does it really matter how I got the box? Isn't it more important to focus on the fact that I got the box that you have coveted for so long?"

Bella was being evasive and defensive, which worried me greatly. I had to know what price she paid for us to have the box now and so I could avoid the toll and trouble. If the price was too high, I'd rather send the box back to where it came from and never think of it again.

I could not lose Bella. That was not an option.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Why do you need to know? I thought you'd just be happy that you finally have it in your hands."

"Because I'd rather not have it if the price means losing you somehow, in some way. I value you, our relationship, more than this ancient treasure box. I can live without ever having this box in my possession, but I can't live without you. If it comes down to the box or you, Bella, I'll always choose you. You can't tell me that there was no price to pay for having the box come into your possession. I know better. It just didn't fall into your lap. So, I want to know how you came about getting it and what are the consequences. Really, Bella, if the stakes are too high, I'd rather the box be returned and we forget about it."

Bella shook her head at me. "After all this time, you still underestimate me. Please know that I would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship. I love you and I don't take our relationship lightly or for granted. I'm not about to let you go. So, your fear of losing me over this box, put that to rest right now. Trust me when I say that you don't have to worry about any other consequences. There will be no payback, no trouble, and certainly no one will be coming after you or us."

"But, I don't understand," I told her honestly, because I really didn't understand. I couldn't wrap my mind how it would be possible to have this box and there not be consequences or a considerable price to pay. "There had to be a cost for us to own this."

"Just some of mine and a select group of people's time," Bella answered nonchalantly.

"Okay, I think I get it now. Someone got conned."

"You can say that."

"Alright then. But what of your crew? You said you didn't spend a dime to acquire the box. I would think that your crew wouldn't have worked for free."

"And they didn't. Naturally, there was a payoff. However, the payoff didn't come from me or any of our assets."

"But, they got paid," I affirmed.

"Yes, and handsomely. But, really, some of them would've worked for free just for the opportunity."

"You're purposely trying to be vague," I said, knowing that she was still very much hiding details.

"Edward, really, you worry too much. Just note that every thing's fine. All is well. Everybody's happy, including those in my crew. I am happy that I was able to do this one thing for you. You should especially be happy that you finally got this box."

"Believe me, I'm grateful. I just can't wrap my mind around how easy it was for you acquire this box and there not be any fall out. Con or not, there was a price to pay."

"Like I said, just my time to devise the brilliant plan to have the box come into my possession."

"But, whomever got conned, surely they'd be angry. They'll come after you….us."

"Not if they don't know they were conned in the first place."

"Oh c'mon, Love, surely you're not that naive. A mark is always bound to find out eventually."

"I beg to differ," Bella disagreed. "If you're good at what you do, for which I am, you can very well leave "the mark" in the dark."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. But, if there comes a time wherein someone realizes you now possess the box, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. But, truthfully, I'll doubt that day will ever come."

"Oh really? How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm Bella Swan and I know what I'm doing. I'm also good at what I do," she stated confidently. "And here's something else...you can steal something without anyone ever knowing it was actually stolen. Get the picture now, Edward?"

Bella then gave me the look that told me that the discussion was over. She wasn't going to fully reveal how she came upon possessing this box and as far as she was concerned, I didn't need to know the details. Maybe it was just as well. From what I can gather, someone doesn't know I have it now. I would just have to trust Bella that there would be no trouble coming our way.

In all fairness, Bella did have a point. She was good at what she did. She literally was one of the best grifters I'd ever met. There was no denying her genius. She is a mastermind not to be messed with. Even a guy like me is impressed with her talent and skills.

Gotta commend the gal for pulling off this unbelievable heist, con, whatever it actually was. Maybe I was over thinking things and obsessing over nothing. I should just focus on the fact that I had the box now.

"So, do I finally get to see what is inside this box I worked so hard to get you?" Bella asked again, eagerly.

"Yes, I suppose it's time. You've waited long enough to see why this particular ancient box is so valuable to me."

"Okay, so open it already," Bella urged.

"Well, first, my love, you have to know that this isn't any ordinary box. You can't just open it."

"Oh my God! Don't tell me you need a key and you don't have it," Bella shrieked.

"No...no...a key is involved and yes I do have that."

"Whew," Bella exclaimed in relief. "For a minute there, I thought I finally understood why you'd been reluctant to open it."

"What I meant is that this box can't just be opened by the key. It's actually a puzzle box. You need to solve the puzzle on the box first before you can insert the key to open it." I began to examine the box closely looking at the elements to the puzzle contained throughout the outside of the box.

"Now, I understand its ornateness. Those are all parts to the puzzle."

"Yes, indeed."

"Please tell me that you know how to solve the puzzle so that we can open it."

"In truth, I only know half of the solution. The rest of the answers were lost over time."

"Oh no!" Bella wailed.

"Don't fret, my dear. I have every confidence that we can solve the rest of the puzzle in order to open it," I assured.

"How do you know? Edward, I've heard that these ancient, puzzle, treasure boxes, are basically impossible to solve without the solutions. For gods sakes, Edward, it could take us years to open this damn box." It was Bella's turn to get angry.

"Calm down, love. Rest assured, it's not going to take us years. I have half the puzzle solution already. All it will take to solve the second-half is a little know-how and patience."

"Edward, not everyone can solve such puzzles. The Ancients who devised them purposely made it difficult. Plus, someone would need to have the origins of the box, thus the people's way of thinking, henceforth why it was designed the way it was."

"We have that. Plus, we have you. If I'm not mistaken, you're the resident genius."

"I may be a genius, but it doesn't mean I'll be able to solve the rest of the puzzle and get the box opened. Wouldn't it be just easier if we force open the box somehow? Break it, maybe? I can grab the tools."

"And risk damaging what's inside? Definitely not. The box in of itself has value. I'd really rather not destroy it. We're opening this box the proper way. I have every confidence that by working together, we'll get it opened."

It was my turn to give Bella the look that the discussion was over. She tried to protest, but was silenced, knowing better than to argue. We then went to our library where I'd kept a chest full of the research and more importantly the key to the box.

"You'd had all this here this whole time? I never knew."

"Well, my dear, isn't the best place to hide something is to hide it in plain sight?"

"Agreed. Alright, I guess we better get to work then, or else I may never get to see what's inside."

With that, we got to work trying to figure out the entire solution to open the box. We'd worked diligently throughout the day and night. Admittedly, it took a bit longer than I expected, especially after already having the first few steps of the opening sequence; however, we hadn't given up, no matter how frustrating deciphering the rest of the solution had become.

Just as I'd expected, Bella cherished the challenge. With how intelligent she is, her mind always needed to be stimulated, challenged; otherwise, she got bored. This was the perfect project for her. It also got her mind off of the fact that she had to wait a bit longer to see the surprise held inside.

Shortly before noon the next day, Bella thought she had it figured out. Earlier, she had already deciphered, based on the part of the solution that we already had, that the puzzle solution was basically a code and all we needed to do was figure out the rest of the code. Since, she was the resident expert on cryptography, I'd left her to it.

"I think this is it, Edward," Bella exclaimed, waving a piece of paper. Naturally, she looked excited.

"Okay, let's try it," I replied back, also excited.

"Wait," Bella called out, stopping me from starting to solve the puzzle. "What if I'm wrong? What if this isn't the solution? The box won't explode or anything if the wrong solution is used, would it? Or what about something else disastrous happening?"

"Actually, I have no idea," I admitted. "Did you read anything in the research that suggested the box was booby trapped?"

"No, I don't remember anything mentioning that. Come to think of it, with all the research you did have, not a lot is mentioned about what happens when you don't open the box or do, or even what's contained inside. Do you even know what we're in for when we get it opened, or even what's inside?"

"I have an idea what's inside, which is why I coveted this box. But, truthfully, we really have no way of knowing if what's contained inside is really what is supposed to be, or whether there really is anything inside at all. What I do know is that apparently no one has been able to solve the puzzle yet in order to have opened it or else we wouldn't be where we are today."

"You don't think anyone has tried?" Bella questioned.

"Oh, I'm sure some have tried. But, like I said, there's really more to opening this box than meets the eye. Furthermore, I gather that not a lot of people were as intelligent as you. I'm pretty sure many had failed."

"Well, that might be a good sign then. The box is still in tact. Maybe it doesn't explode if the wrong solution is used."

"Indeed."

"But, Edward, do you even have any idea what's in store of we do happen to get the box opened? I mean, what if it is booby trapped? What if we open it and it's wired to kill whomever opens it, like starts emitting a poisoned gas or shoots deadly darts out of it?"

"Jesus, my dear, you have quite the imagination."

"What? It isn't so far fetched. This box's ancient creator went to a lot of trouble to conceal what's contained inside. Who's to say that they didn't go through more trouble to make sure no one gets what's inside once opened?"

"Love, half the fun is the anticipation," I told her.

"But, remember when you had worried that you were gonna lose me over this box. I'm worried now. I don't want anything to happen to you. Maybe we shouldn't open it. Like you said, what's supposed to be inside may not even be in there. All this work and it may be for nothing. Is what's inside even worth it?"

"Believe me, it's worth it. You'll see."

"But, Edward, remember poison gas, deadly darts, and death to come to whomever may open it. That may be inside too."

I shook in laughter. "Love, I think you've watched too many movies. I think all will be fine. In any case, I'm prepared if anything happens to go wrong."

"Oh, are you?" She asked and arched her eyebrow at me.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine," I tried to reassure.

Truthfully, I had no idea. However, I wasn't about to let anything stop me now, considering I'd waited so long to finally have the box. I certainly wasn't about to sit back and not open it. I didn't covet it just to have another art piece to look at. Maybe there really wasn't anything inside, and we'd both gone through so much trouble for naught, but Bella and I would never find out unless we opened it.

"Okay, then back to my original question, what if my solution is wrong?"

"Then we work at it again," I answered simply.

"I told you, this could take years out of our life," Bella whined.

"I have every confidence that you'd found the solution," I then said. But, we'll never know if we don't try it. So shall we?"

"I don't know about this," Bella proclaimed wary.

Again, I had to laugh. "Whatever happened to the girl that was eager to open the box? I questioned her.

"That girl hadn't thought everything through and was just eager to find out what was inside. Now, I'm not so sure."

"Before you jump to any conclusions, let's just see first if we can open it. Okay?"

She acquiesced and handed me her piece of paper with the full solution on it and we began the process of solving the puzzle box. Partway through I already had a feeling that Bella had indeed solved the puzzle and we would get to open the box shortly. I knew if anyone could solve the puzzle, it would've been her. She's a genius after all.

After we'd pressed the last piece of the puzzle, we'd waited for a beat for something to happen. At first, with nothing happening we'd thought that Bella's solution had been a dud; however, after a few seconds, a piece of the box protruded out, distinctly a key hole.

Bella and I both looked at one another, our eyes alight with glee. "You did it, babe," I shouted excitedly. "I knew that if anyone could, it would be you."

I then couldn't help but pick her up and spin her around. It was a joyous and momentous occasion.

"Well, it didn't explode. So far so good," Bella said as soon as I'd put her back down.

I rubbed my hands together and declared, "Now comes the fun part," as I grabbed the key and proceeded to put it into the keyhole.

"Okay, don't get dead," Bella stated.

"I don't plan to, love." I then turned the key and braced for what was to happen next. Bella held onto me as well.

We heard a click and then the top of the box seemed to have popped open. Moving to a safer distance, I then took a prod from the fireplace and used that to open the box fully. There was no poisoned gas, no shooting darts, nothing in the way of further security measures. There was nothing but an opened box.

Cautiously, Bella and I moved towards the box to take a look at what was inside. Both our eyes grew wide at the sight. Then, I looked over at Bella who I believe was speechless. I unleashed a "fuck ya" and grabbed Bella, picked her up, and spun her around again. After I'd put her down, I kissed her hard in appreciation for it was her that procured the box for me. She kissed me back just as passionately. One thing led to another, clothes came off, and we ended up making love right there on the floor in front of the magnificent, ancient, puzzle box.

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><p><strong>End AN:** Here I am again, crazy enough to try this Twilight 25 challenge. What can I say? I like to push myself to become a better writer. Also, I have an unbelievable number of plot bunnies constantly swirling in my head and well, this gives me a chance to explore them. So, away we go. Admittedly, getting a late start, but I'm trying to tell myself I can still pull off the challenge by deadline.

-So, this is a O/S. It was what I thought up due to the prompt. I can't promise all of them will be this long. After all, one-shots, flash fics, & even drabbles are fair game as long as I use my central character Edward. Wait and see what else my crazy brain thinks up.

Incidentally, I purposely made it vague as to what's in the box. What is the treasure, I wonder? Maybe, it's even nothing at all. Use your imaginations-that's the beauty of reading.

-General Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight and its characters. They belong to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.

-Finally, reviews are always appreciated. Admittedly, usually bad at answering them promptly, but I always make an effort to try and respond to each one. I still have a backlog, but if it's the last thing I do, I will at least thank every reviewer for their efforts.

Thanks for taking the time to read!


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